Korean Job Discussion Forums

[robot]

Never owned a camera in my life. Before I go to Yongsan to check some out, maybe you can give me some advice.

I'm looking for a relatively high-quality video camera for professional use. All I will be shooting is people in an indoor setting with very limited camera movement, so I don't need anything fancy in that regard, but I do want a high quality picture that compares to something you'd see in a TV commercial, or at least something that looks higher quality than your everyday handycam would allow.

What kind of features should I be looking for? I know I'll need something with a mic input. Not sure about frame rate -- I guess that's the big dif that sets makes something seem to have TV quality, right? So I should definitely be looking for HD. I may be compiling what I shoot onto a DVD, though, so is there a special type of camera needed for that?

Because of the minimal movement I'll be doing in a strictly indoor setting, do I really need to worry about all the special controls and lens features that are available in expensive models? Can I get away with a cheaper camera that would still deliver a really good picture? Any suggestions?

Jeez, this is such a newbie camera guy post. Thanks for your help, though. ^^

[moosehead]

the very first thing you will want to know is what kind of editing program will you be using? if it's going to be a professional program, such as Final Cut Pro, you will need to make sure the camera is compatible - whether tape or removable disk.

the mic will up your price to the +400,000 range

HD will up it even more

canon makes some good cameras.


if you go to B&H photo's website (google please) then over to the videocameras you will find a plethora of brands. you can then look at each one, there will be a detailed spec sheet and tech details along with prices, of course.

these prices I promise you will be the best you can find anywhere, so after that you can use this to see how much more you will be paying here - and you will be paying more.

the other thing is K has limited selections as well as few new models but plenty of last year's and previous ones.

if possible after doing some research you might want to hop over to Jpn and pick something up there - tho it might be in Jpnse, you'll have to take that chance.

if you're going to be around K a while you might be able to buy something used and get used to it first before spending more for what you want.

I just bought an Xacti (Sanyo) while in Jpn and am breaking it in as well as getting comfortable doing video as opposed to still photography. It's a wonderful compact videocam and I'll continue to use it even after I upgrade as it's so convenient and easy to use. Bought it in Jpn, btw.

pm me if you want to discuss film editing further or filmmaking in general